Electrical boxes are commonly installed on the exterior walls of buildings to mount electrical fixtures and the like. For the homeowner, it is desirable to have the option of mounting the electrical fixture either flush with the outer wall surface or at some predetermined offset from the wall surface. Conventional electrical boxes typically include attached captive fasteners that enable mounting of the box by driving the fasteners sideways into a stud. Typically the conventional electrical box is mounted flush with the wall surface.
As a result of the substantial thickness of brick and stone wall coverings and their imperviousness to receive fasteners, conventional electrical boxes cannot easily be mounted to brick and stone walls. The standard method of installing electrical service to a structure having a stone wall is to mount a conventional plastic or metal electrical box and then cement the conventional box into the wall. Typically there is a ragged gap around the periphery of the electrical box that must be filled with cement. The cement around the periphery is typically visible from the front of the conventional box, and this typically detracts from the attractiveness of the installed box. Additionally, as a result of using only cement to secure the box, it is difficult to level the box with respect to the outer surface of the stone wall.
An additional challenge provided by stone wall construction is the fact that stone is provided in several thicknesses. It is therefore difficult to mount conventional electrical boxes flush or at a desired offset from the stone wall without special procedures such as building a framework to extend the box from the substrate. There is no arrangement on a conventional box to adjust the distance the box extends outward from the stone surface. The utility of the electrical box, including the accessibility to the electrical fixtures installed thereto, is enhanced if it is set at the desired offset distance with respect to the wall.
A further problem arises as the result of the smooth outer sidewalls of the conventional electrical box as there is no structure on the outer surface of the sidewalls for holding the electrical box fast within the mortar.
What is needed therefore is an electrical box for exterior stone walls that may be securely anchored to the substrate with fasteners, is easily leveled with respect to the wall, is capable of being mounted flush with the wall or at some predetermined offset with respect to the wall, is capable of being adjusted to fit various thicknesses of stone, and that provides an aesthetically pleasing installation.